[mapserver-users] RE: How to avoid drawing overlapping point symbols?

[Lime, Steve D (DNR)]

Hi Mark: There are a couple of ways to go. Either should work. Option 1 is less of hack I so I'd start there. Option 2 is really more useful when you want to label the marker.

Steve

Option 1: TrueType symbol as text.

LAYER
  NAME 'option1'
  DATA ...
  TYPE ANNOTATION
  CLASS
    COLOR 0 0 0 # may need this for things to draw, or you may not
    TEXT ',' # no need for a label item, this is references the symbol in your font you want to use
    LABEL
      FONT
        TYPE TRUETYPE
        FONT "nrcs-ssurgo"
        ANTIALIAS TRUE
        SIZE 10
    END
  END
END

Option 2: Use a marker symbol

SYMBOL
        NAME "ROC"
        TYPE TRUETYPE
        FONT "nrcs-ssurgo"
        CHARACTER ","
        ANTIALIAS TRUE
END

LAYER
      NAME "option2"
      STATUS ON
      TYPE ANNOTATION
      DATA ...
      CLASS
        STYLE
            SYMBOL "ROC"
            SIZE 12
            COLOR 0 0 0
        END
        TEXT ' ' # a blank space
        LABEL
           SIZE tiny # doesn't matter what you define
        END
      END
END


________________________________________
From: Sigda, Mark - Fort Collins, CO [Mark.Sigda at ftc.usda.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 1:51 PM
To: Lime, Steve D (DNR); mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: RE: How to avoid drawing overlapping point symbols?

Thank you, Steve.  I'm trying annotation, but haven't been able to get it working yet.  I wasn't able to find examples of annotation layers, so I'm just hacking here.  Would you please take a look at my map file?

Below is basically what I'm doing (though I have many more symbols & classes).  If I use the map file below, it draws nothing.  If I uncomment the commented lines, it draws both the marker symbols and labels, but I don't want labels.

Can you tell me how to draw just the marker symbols?

Thanks,

-Mark


SYMBOL
        NAME "ROC"
        TYPE TRUETYPE
        FONT "nrcs-ssurgo"
        CHARACTER ","
        ANTIALIAS TRUE
END

LAYER
      NAME "featpoint"
      STATUS ON
      TYPE ANNOTATION
      CONNECTIONTYPE PLUGIN
      PLUGIN "msplugin_mssql2008.dll"
      CONNECTION "removed"
      DATA "ShapeGeometry from featpoint using unique featpointiid using SRID=4269"
      PROJECTION 'init=C:\ms4w\proj\nad\epsg:4269' END
      CLASSITEM "featsym"
      TRANSPARENCY ALPHA
#      LABELITEM "featsym"
      CLASS
        EXPRESSION 'ROC'
        STYLE
            SYMBOL "ROC"
            SIZE 12
          COLOR 0 0 0
          END
#        LABEL
#          ANTIALIAS true
#          POSITION AUTO
#          FONT "arial"
#          TYPE truetype
#          COLOR 0 0 0
#          SIZE 8
#        END
      END
END

-----Original Message-----
From: Lime, Steve D (DNR) [mailto:Steve.Lime at state.mn.us]
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 2:45 PM
To: Sigda, Mark - Fort Collins, CO; mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: RE: How to avoid drawing overlapping point symbols?

Use an annotation layer, you can even use the truetype symbol as the text, collisions will be avoided in this case. Even if you have to use the truetype symbol as a marker symbol with accompanying text MapServer will still avoid overlap with the markers.

Steve
________________________________________
From: mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Sigda, Mark - Fort Collins, CO [Mark.Sigda at ftc.usda.gov]
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 2:52 PM
To: mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: [mapserver-users] How to avoid drawing overlapping point symbols?

I have a point layer I'm drawing with a truetype symbol.  When points are close together, a big mess of overlapping symbols is drawn.

How can I tell MapServer not do draw symbols for points that are close together?  I'm looking for something like GAP on the STYLE element, but that apparently applies only to line features.

Thanks,

-Mark
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